The justification behind co-athletes of the year

The decision for male athlete of the year was considerably more difficult than that of female.

With a talent pool as deep as Eudora's there was no need to sacrifice any quality, but to start, the bar was raised to at least two sports. After looking at the crop that was left, three athletes stood out above the rest: Matthew Abel, Morgan Abel and Dylan Rust.

Matthew Abel's football numbers were very impressive, 10 total touchdowns, but it's unfair to count against Morgan Abel and Rust for playing positions which don't get eye-pleasing stats.

All three athletes also played baseball, and Matthew Abel definitely had the best offensive stats (29 R, 25 RBI, .483 average), but Morgan Abel was good offensively and as a pitcher, while Rust was a lights-out pitcher almost every time he took the mound.

If considering only those two sports, Matthew Abel would have joined Emily Ballock as a back-to-back recipient. However, both Rust and Morgan Abel also played and excelled in basketball. That gave them a leg up on Matthew Abel, but distinguishing the more deserving athlete between the two of them proved even more difficult.

Rust's numbers in most of the key statistical categories for basketball (points, rebounds, assists, etc.) were better, giving him the advantage in that sport. Rust was also an excellent pitcher, but Morgan Abel was a pitcher, first baseman and an outstanding hitter. His well-rounded abilities on the diamond give him the edge in baseball.

That leaves football, and trying to pit the abilities of an offensive lineman against those of a defensive lineman on the same team is a practice in futility.

There aren't any written rules when determining who deserves this award, which means it's always open to interpretation. This is that of The Eudora News.